In recent years there has been an increase in users who install a multi-channel surround system in their living room and using this as a home theater enjoy contents such as movies and music as a family. If a user operates the equipment of this multi-channel surround system and reproduces contents that include multi-channel surround sound such as, for example, a DVD, multi-channel surround sound is output from a plurality of speakers that are located around a listening position. As a result, the user is able to enjoy contents at an impact level similar to that enjoyed in a cinema or concert hall.
Among conventional multi-channel surround systems there are those that, in order to improve acoustics, are provided with a sound field compensation circuit that is able to automatically set a hall simulation mode that reproduces the acoustics of a concert hall (or theater) in accordance with the music genre of input music signals (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Moreover, among conventional multi-channel surround systems there are those that, in order to make it possible to create an excellent reproduction sound field at a listening position, are provided with an automatic acoustic control function that automatically sets control parameters for control to be performed on the sound signals of each channel (see, for example, Patent Document 2).    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H8-37700    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2004-159037
However, in the sound field compensation circuit described in Patent Document 1, while the acoustics of a concert hall (or theater) are reproduced, the frequency characteristics of the reproduced acoustics are not flat. Because of this, while the sound correlation between each speaker is improved, because the optional sound field such as the hall is changed, the feeling of that sound field that is included in the original contents is lost.
In the acoustic control device described in Patent Document 2, acoustic analysis for the acoustic control and the creation of control parameters can be performed rapidly, so that the optimum control can be implemented for the sound signals of each channel. However, because a plurality of speakers are used in a home theater, the type and size of each speaker are often different. If, in this manner, the type and size of each speaker differs for each channel, then it is difficult to perfectly match speaker characteristics even if acoustic control is performed using an acoustic control device such as that described above, and a certain amount of unevenness remains. Because of this, the problem arises that the sound correlation between each speaker is not particularly good even if acoustic control has been performed. Moreover, depending on the configuration of the room where the home theater is installed, there may be a sizeable distance between the front speakers and rear speakers, so that reflected waves in the room may have a considerable effect. In this case as well, the problem arises that the sound correlation between speakers is not particularly good.